Glossary

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Retail Media Delivery glossary

You will find on this page a list of the definitions we use across this documentation. Some are section specific (for Commerce video, or for GAM), while others are general to Ad tech.

The definitions are visible across all pages, as interactive pop-up displaying when hovering on the designated words, like in this example: Ad unit.

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The Commerce-Yield Help Center

For more Retail Media integration definitions, you can also visit the C-Yield Glossary.

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AMER

(Americas) is a global business and sales region encompassing North, Central, and South America.

APAC

(Asia-Pacific) is a global business region that spans Asia and the Pacific.

Ad unit (GAM)

(in GAM) is a location where ads are shown. The Ad Unit in GAM is equivalent to the placement in the Retail Media platform.

Beacons

A web beacon is a small object, such as a 1-pixel GIF, embedded in markup, and used to communicate information back to a web server or to third-party servers. Beacons are often included within third-party scripts for collecting user data, performance metrics, and error reporting.

Branded Header

is a Commerce Display format for mobile, focused on static branding.

Butterfly

is a Commerce Display unit containing a dual-panel with two banner-like elements, to be displayed on either side of a webpage.

Commerce Display

Refers to ad formats placed across a retailer’s website, in the context of Onsite Display. The Commerce Display formats include Flagship, Showcase, Butterfly, Branded Header and Interactive Header.

Creatives (GAM)

Ads are called Creatives in GAM. A Creative may be an asset that is uploaded to GAM and served directly from GAM, or it may be an HTML tag that calls to a third party ad server for demand. Retail Media’s integration with GAM relies on a custom creative that calls into the Retail Media Delivery ad server.

Digital Shelf Talker

Is an image displayed within a product tile that redirects to a URL.

Display banners

Are visual ads placed in designated spaces on a retailer’s website, in the context of Onsite Display. Display banners include the IAB format, Display Panel and Digital Shelf Talker.

Display Panel

Is an image that redirects to a URL.

DSA

The Digital Services Act is a legislative framework led by the European Commission aimed at updating and regulating the legal framework for digital services within the European Union (EU). It requires online platforms to ensure that users have real-time access to certain elements of information about any ad shown to them.

EMEA

(Europe, Middle East, and Africa) is a global commercial region that includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Flagship

Is a Commerce Display unit that serves as the primary branding unit on a webpage, often placed in prominent areas such as a homepage.

First-party cookie

Is a small set of data created by the website a user is visiting. First-party cookies are used to collect user data for analytics, and store preferences such as language settings, login information, etc.

Fragment

Is a reusable UI component that represents a part of the screen in an Android app. Fragments allow modularizing the interface and managing different parts of the UI separately.

GAM

(Google Ad Manager) is a comprehensive ad management platform that enables publishers to manage, sell, and optimize both direct and programmatic ad inventory across web, mobile, and app environments.

Google Publisher Tag

(GPT) is the HTML snippet that a publisher integrates with their website in order to access GAM functionality. If the Ad Unit is a logical representation of a location where ads can be shown, the GPT is the physical manifestation of that abstraction. Within the GAM user interface, GPT is generated from an Ad Unit, and then this tag is pasted into the Publisher’s website.

IAB Banners

Are static display units that redirect to a dedicated URL.

Interactive Header

Corresponds to the mobile version of the Butterfly display unit.

Line item (GAM)

(in GAM) defines the rules that associate Creatives to Ad Units, as well as the terms negotiated with the advertiser about when their ads will serve.

Macros (GAM)

(in GAM) represents a variable that will be expanded to a concrete value at the time a Creative is served. The Retail Media integration with GAM uses Macros to manifest query parameters for the request to Delivery.

Offsite

Is a Commerce Max solution used to target unique audiences using retailer first-party data to reach shoppers across the open internet.

Onsite Display

Refers to ads shown directly on a retailer's website to promote products or campaigns.

Placement

Refers to the specific ad space or location on a digital property (such as a website or app) where advertisements are served, typically defined by publishers to optimize visibility and user engagement.

Product feed

Is a file containing all the most up-to-date client’s catalog and product information. Criteo's servers can ingest the feed up to four times per day.

Product tile

Is an ad unit that consist of modular, clickable product displays. Product tiles can appear in grid or carousel layouts within the ad spaces.

SKU

(Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique alphanumeric code used by retailers to identify and track individual products or items in inventory, aiding in efficient stock management and sales processes.

Showcase

Is a Commerce Display unit combining branded assets with product tiles, often used as a premium display format for high-impact visuals.

Sponsored products

Are native ads that appear directly within a retailer’s product listings or search results, blending seamlessly with the site's content.

Tag

The tag (or Criteo OneTag) is a small snippet of JavaScript code embedded in a webpage to collect data, perform a specific function, or load third-party services.

VAST tag (Commerce Video)

A VAST tag is a piece of XML code used to serve video ads through a video player. It contains all the necessary information for the ad, including the ad's media file URLs, tracking URLs, and instructions for how and when the video ad should be displayed.

VAST video player (Commerce Video)

Refers to a video player that is compatible with the Video Ad Serving Template (VAST), a standard protocol for serving video ads across different platforms. VAST provides a structured framework for delivering video ads, including ad tracking, click-through options, and creative variations.

Verbosity

Refers to the amount of data included in the API response. A “full verbosity” response contains a large amount of detailed information, while a “low verbosity” response includes essential data only.

Viewport (Commerce Video)

Refers to the visible area of a web page that a user can see on their screen or device without scrolling. It adjusts dynamically based on the size of the device and the browser window, determining what content is immediately visible to the user.

XPath

XPath stands for XML Path Language. It uses a non-XML syntax to provide a flexible way of addressing (pointing to) different parts of an XML document. It can also be used to test addressed nodes within a document to determine if they match a pattern.